2018 Competition Rules Update

From Monday 15 January 2018, the 2018 British Triathlon Competition Rules will come into effect, which can now be downloaded as a PDF. A summary of the changes can also be downloaded.

Why have changes been made?

Each year, the ITU (International Triathlon Union) review the rules of the sport as it continues to grow in popularity, and to keep up with the latest developments. British Triathlon reviews and adopts the necessary changes to maintain consistency with the ITU, but also ensures that the Competition Rules are suitable for domestic events.

Howard Vine, British Triathlon Technical Committee Chair, said: “The new rules continue to support the development of triathlon and multisport in Britain, ensuring safe and fair competition for all taking part”

“As in previous years we have continued to follow the lead from the ITU, and have adopted their updates where appropriate.”

So what's changed?

One of the biggest changes which has already been announced is that disc brakes can now be used in all events, including draft-legal racing, whereas previously they could only be used in draft-illegal races.

In order to ensure we provide further opportunities for children, and with the increasing popularity of relay events, we have provided maximum race distances for children taking part in a single leg of a relay event. More information about these can be found here.

The process for competitors to appeal against a penalty given by a Technical Official during the race has been reviewed. This process outlines the timescales and appeal procedure, as well as providing guidance on how the Competition Jury should be composed. This information is found in Sections 3, 11 and 13 of the Competition Rules.

A number of further small changes have also been made, which can be found in the summary of changes document above.

Who does this effect?

Put simply, anyone who takes part in a permitted event. All Home Nation permitted events adhere to the British Triathlon Competition Rules and are therefore an essential read for any newcomers to the sport who are taking up the triathlon challenge for the first time. It is also advisable that Event Organisers have a clear understanding of these rules and any links on event websites are updated.

Regular participants are also advised to download and review the rules, to ensure they are up to date with any changes. Age-Group competitors taking part in ITU and ETU championship events should familiarise themselves with the updated ITU Competition Rules which can be downloaded below.